The present invention concerns a procedure for the transport and placement of empty and full cans using can magazines and can carriers, and also concerns an apparatus for executing the procedure.
Conventionally, for the bringing of empty cans to the filling head of a draw frame, and for the reception of the filled cans in the draw frame, roller conveyors are provided (RIETER-High Capacity Stretch Works RSB 951). The cans to be filled in that method must be taken off from a transport wagon by an operating person, and set upon the roller conveyor. When this is done, because of the required inclination of the roller conveyor, the cans, especially upon being set upon that end of the roller conveyor remote from the draw frame, must be lifted to a relatively high elevation. In the same way, the full cans must be taken off a roller conveyor and placed upon a transport wagon. This method of procedure is thus labor and energy intensive.
Further, from AT 343 047, a device for the supply of a preparatory machine with cans for a spinning works is known. At the beginning, empty cans stand on a transport wagon, and subsequently slide onto a guiding track which leads to a draw frame. The cans, after the filling process, are pushed onto an additional transport wagon by means of a chain with grab arms. For each can, respectively, a grab arm is provided. After the unloading of the first transport wagon, it is moved on further by means of a pushing apparatus. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that the grab arm must insert itself each time between two cans. The cans, for this action, must be exactly positioned as to the distance between them. This alignment is not always possible in the every day work of a spinning factory.
For the pushing of the transport wagons, these must have pivotable wheels.
This is disadvantageous upon manually pushing the wagons, because the pivoted wheels make the wagon too hard to steer. Also, the pushing apparatus is very highly stressed because of the engendered torque which arises from the pushing of the wagon. This stress is the cause of a high degree of wear and tear on the pushing apparatus. As a result, the pushing apparatus must be very ruggedly designed.
All these disadvantages being considered, a primary purpose of the invention is to create a procedure and an apparatus, which eliminate such difficulties.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
These purposes of the invention, so defined, may be achieved by a procedure for the transport of empty cans to a filling station of a textile machine which produces material in bands and the placement of filled cans in a full can magazine, from which the filled cans are removed. In the procedure, a specified number of empty cans is on a can carrier in the empty can magazine of a band producing textile machine. A can to be filled is taken from the can carrier to a filling station from whence the filled can is transported to a just emptied can carrier, which carrier is to be found in the full can magazine. This carrier, after being loaded by a specified plurality of filled cans, is taken out of the full can magazine. The can carrier in the empty can magazine, which carrier in the mean time was emptied, is transported by means of at least a partial lifted crossover which is essentially free of torque damage, into the full can magazine which has just become unoccupied. Since the can carrier remains adjacent to the draw frame or to some other band producing textile machine, while the cans are being filled and the cans after the filling are deposited directly on a can carrier, the work to be carried out in regard to the delivery and removal of the cans to and from the machines by the operator is substantially reduced. The labor and power intensive transfer of two empty cans from the can carrier on a roller conveyor, or, the related removal of full cans from a roller conveyor and the transfer of these heavy cans onto a can carrier may be dispensed with.
A procedural method of restraining in position the can carrier in the empty can magazine and/or in the full can magazine in position is particularly advantageous in order to increase safety measures associated with the transfer of an empty can to a band producing textile machine, or with the removal of a filled can from a band producing machine.
For smooth operation, it is necessary to separate the bringing in of a can carrier to the filling head and the related removal of a can carrier from the output device of the filling head from the in and out transport of can carriers to and from the draw frame. In accord with the invention, there has been provided an additional wait-position which serves as a buffer for the can carrier.
Principally, a can carrier from an empty can magazine, this being the source from which empty cans are routed to the filling head, may be brought into a buffer position from which, upon call, the carrier may once again be removed. The purpose of removal may be to bring the carrier into the full can magazine.
If, however, in a start-up situation, a full can carrier finds itself in the empty can magazine and an empty can carrier finds itself in the full can magazine, then a procedure in accord with the present invention is particularly advantageous. At the very moment when in the empty can magazine the can carrier becomes empty, and also the can carrier in the full can magazine becomes full, the procedure allows that an exchange of the can carrier in the empty can magazine as well as in the full can magazine may be carried out.
For the carrying out of the procedure, an apparatus in accord with the invention for the supply of empty cans to a filling station of an band operating textile machine and for the placement of filled cans into a full can magazine, from which the filled cans are removed. The apparatus provides a supply mechanism for the empty can magazine with the aid of which the cans that find themselves on a can carrier in a can magazine are singly deliverable to the fill station. An elevated crossover system for transfer of an empty can carrier from the empty can magazine into the full can magazine is also provided, wherein the crossover apparatus lifts up, at least partially, the can carrier and/or transports it over free of torque damage. The acceptance apparatus for respectively one can carrier and its slip restraining facility, as well as regarding run-in as run-out from the filling head, leads to an easing of the labor. By means of the advantageous development of both the empty and full can magazines having a slip restraining facility, a greater degree of safety is assured by the transfer of a can to or from the band operating textile machine.
Advantageously, by allowing the crossover apparatus to be movable underneath the can carrier, a particularly space saving embodiment of the invention has been achieved.
So that not every time, that the can carrier on the feed side of the filling head, has yielded all its empty cans to the filling head, in other words, the can carrier on the discharge side of the filling head is filled with full cans, the operating person or a transport apparatus stand ready with a new can carrier with empty cans or must be ready for the taking away of the can carrier with filled cans, additional unit positions which serve as buffers for the can carrier are advantageously developed.
This development makes possible the setting of a can wagon with empty cans in readiness, or the taking away of a can carrier with full cans, independently of the continual operation of the filling procedure. The adjacency of the hold positions of the empty can and the full can magazines as particularly advantageous in consideration of space relationships as for the manipulation of the can carrier.
The empty cans must be conducted to the filling station. So that an ejection apparatus for the individual cans on their side remote from the filling station can take hold, a run-up ramp extending to await position may be provided.
In order to carry out the transfer of can carriers from one hold position into another position in an especially simple way, using the movable crossover apparatus is particularly advantageous. After a can carrier has been taken away on the pick-up side of the draw frame, and thereby requisite space has been created because of the removal of the can carrier, now all can carriers on the draw frame are moved in common to a hold position.
Principally, the can carrier may be designed in an optional manner, for instance, as a pallet. Nevertheless, the use of can wagons may show itself to be of value. In such a case, a design of the can carrier as a can was on the orientable casters may be advantageous since the pivotable casters may be pulled along during the transfer of the can wagon from one to the next hold position for general availability.
Independently as to whether only one end of the can carrier, or the entire can carrier is lifted for the switching of the same from one place to another, the development that allows the crossover apparatus to interact with a guide, vertically adjustable with a lift apparatus especially in the form of an inflatable hose has shown itself to be particularly a practical improvement.
For a simple and safe manipulation of can handling during the presentation of the can to the filling head, or during the retrieval of the filled can from the filling head, the design of the invented apparatus using guides and installable slip restrain devices is advantageous.
According to the purpose of the application, cans of various sizes may be placed in service. Thus, for instance, cans with diameters ranging between 250 to 600 mm are common. In order not to have to build different equipment for each size of can, the empty can magazine can possess an installable guide to accommodate the width of the can carrier. In this manner, a basic design has been created, wherein by means of a simple readjustment, that is, the adding or removal of guide elements, a fit may be made for the desired can size.
In order to assure that the can carrier crossover transfer can only be carried out, when a number of preliminary conditions have been met, it is advantageous to use monitoring devices in the empty can and full can magazines.
For the easing of can manipulation by pushing the cans where the can carrier is concerned, it is advantageous if the can carrier possesses guide and slip restraint means to keep the cans in an orderly row.
The procedure and the apparatus in accord with the present invention avoid the power consuming and accident hazards related to the run-in to the filling head of the draw frame and can handling at the Removal Station of the filling head. Moreover, excessive wear and tear at these positions is prevented, such as is unavoidable on the setting of cans onto roller conveyors. The invention is also independent of the shape of the can and the procedure finds application not only using round cans, but also in connection with flat or rectangular cans.
The concept of xe2x80x9crectangular canxe2x80x9d is not to be limited as it is understood, but is to encompass all shapes of cans. These cans may exhibit a large or small cross-sectional size, independent of the shape of the cross-section. In other words, the concept of the can is independent as to whether or not the ends are constructed by a circular cross-section or the ends conform to straight lines of the walls. Further, the acceptable can shape is independent of the size of possibly provided curvature radii at the transition from a side wall to the bottom of the can.
Embodiments of the invention are presented in the following with the help of the drawings to provide a more complete description and explanation.